Really! 

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9598209543

At the end you can make your own and send it on.. My friend did mine and sent it tp me.  I opened it and imagine the surprise...  Now, thats getting in the spirit!

Anyone have any others like this?  I had not seen anything like it and it is just too funny. 

 OK - back to real estate !!

As a rule I tend to stay out of office politics, messy dealings and keep away from Fsbo's that won't be flipped.  They say rules are made to be broken....

 Over a year ago a couple came through my builders open and was interested in purchasing.  At the time we had 3 agents on the development and Agent 1 decided to list their home and flip them to another builder as A1 did not want to share the client as was the agreement.  Agent2 got wind of it and smeared A1 to the clients who then promptly fired him and listed with A2.  I am A4 on this and decided to stay away... The home sat on the market as they built their new home with builder#2. 

Fast forward a few months and we have agent2 being released due to non-performance.  The couple then decided to list with the agent that represented their now builder.  This is Agent 3.  She was also my mentor so I am keeping fairly up to date on the happenings and we laugh about it over lunches.  All of these agents are with the same company I am and it is a fairly smaller town.  Fast forward again another year and the home has still not sold, the ppl are still good friends with A3 BUT decide to sell by themselves.  In this time they have received and excepted 3 offers that I am aware of, all of which have expired as the buyers could not sell their homes.

 I begin to work with a very nice family looking in this particular town and the only home that includes all of the ammentities and specific requirements they have is this nightmare of a FSBO.  I am extremely leary of dealing with the ppl as they have run through 3 agents at the company already and do not seem to have much good to say at all about the first 2. 

 Well, I was wrong.  These are some of the most delightful ppl I have dealt with on both sides in a very long time.  We ended up in a multiple bid situation (never fails...!) and they took our offer - even though the other did not include commission and was a bit higher) and then called to thank me.  We joked about fate and the fact I was the only agent left at our company that works the area. When she asked why I had not pursued it earlier I had to be honest and tell her.  I am not getting involved when there is in-fighting. I am interested in matching ppl to the right home - not 'winning' at the office.  I wish them the best BUT I am returning to my rules.

Which now includes two martinis for a job well done. (and maybe a small smirk ;)

Any good deals lately?!

Sooo - for most of us the summer market has not been what we would call 'traditional'.  Lender worries, buyer scarcity, market unstability. I was speaking with a fellow Realtor and she was more than a little discouraged - we have seen a jump in area Realtors leaving the business here lately.  I decided to look at the numbers and forget the hype.  My area shows sales are down by 4.2% over last year but UP 11% over the same month last year.  Hmmm.  Prices have also fallen.  Avg. market price is down $1100. (yes, 11 hundred) over last year.  Not exactly enough to lose a ton of sleep over.

 While this is not great - really, where is the fire? Prices had been rising at an average of 7% a year until mid-late 2005.  We have been bombarded by layoffs and worse still, RUMOURS of layoffs, which makes everyone nervous.  I understand it is not the fast and crazy market it once was but the sales are still there.  The buyers are still coming, just not as quickly as they were.  Our area placed in the Top 5 of areas to invest in by Forbes (Spring 2007) due to the depressed real estate prices and our proximity to the border.  Is now not the time to buy?

On a further note, most of my business is traditionally done from late August to December so I may be singing a different tune later.  We'll see.

For now though, stressing the positive with our clients and looking at the real numbers rather than listening to the scare tactics of the media may provide all of the relief we need.

Anyone else weathering the storm well? Or atleast sanely?! Signs of growth starting in your areas yet?

 Best of luck!

I am not sure if it is boredom or burnout... I have appointments, listings, buyers, marketing to do etc. and I just can't seem to get enthusiastic. Possibly it is the 'market' or my realization that I have little to no control over what it does. I feel like a puppet subject to the whims of my local economy.  I came into the market in a hot sellers environment and now, obviously, it is not. My brokers advice was to 'sell' and 'keep working'.  Not exactly the most motivating talk I have had. As I was the trainer and still help the new ones I really need to be on my game all of the time but I just can't seem to get it going.

 This attitude culminated in a conversation with one of my sellers that went something like this:

"We have been on the market for 12 weeks and are not generating any interest and from the comments and CMA it is due to the price.  We are going to have to reduce if you want to sell"

"No"

"Unfortunately, crazy ppl are not allowed to purchase real estate here and that is the only group I can think of that would pay this much for your house"

Thank god they laughed but OMG!!! I can't even believe that came out of my mouth. 

Is the heat going to your head? Said anything down right stupid lately?

From what I have read and learned here I think most of us are fairly adept at getting traffic to our sites.  Now for the infamous internet call-to-action....

What makes ppl WANT to join your site and leave their email? Your stunning smile? Your expert knowledge? Prime listings???? I would really love for us to share - as we are mostly in different markets - what you feel generates the most new client log-ins for your site.

 For mine I really am a fan of not making ppl sign in for otherwise accessible information.  If they want to email me, be put on a new listing notifier or would like market updates then they need to leave an email.  Phone is optional.  I do not feel I have a high enough capture rate for buyers and for sellers almost nothing..:( I do not use 'gimmicks' such as covering lawyers fee's, cashback on closing etc. but I could be really wrong here.

Love to hear all of your opinions! Happy Capturing!!!

So I am relocating to another area and I have an established website.  Whats it worth?  How can I even start to figure it out???

 Letting go of the emotional (hours upon weeks of my research, getting the ranking up, establishing the key words and 'pulls' for google that work, design and personal attachments...) I need to know what a fair price would be. 

The site currently has a little over 200 ppl on active customized drips, has 17 pages of contacts, is ranken anywhere from 29th - the best so far - to 87th in the country (Canada) with an average of about 50, is 997th worldwide, has been established since early 04 and has a high percentage of repeat visitors daily and weekly.  I get most of my business from the net, the other end is referrals and thats it.  No cold calling, not too many open houses etc. and I do well.  One of the top agents in the company that does a 90% referral based business is interested in buying the site/domain from me with the clients but we do not have any idea of the value.

 From what I can see and determine, about 40 contacts on the site equal one end.  Or 200/40= 5 sales at an avg. of $4000 per end (in our market) = $20,000.

Do I ask for a 25% referral fee for 12 months? Do I ask for a flat buyout? And if so, what is that amount???? I told the agent that it all depends on how you work a contact and the agent is established, been in the business about 15 years and is consistently in the top 3 at our company so I am not worried about him closing deals.  My former partner would be managing the site for him and she is no longer in the biz so I would have a way of knowing how many sales it is generating etc.

 HELP!!!!!! Any ideas/comments/dollar amounts would be appreciated.

Thanks so much! Trista - www.therighthome.ca

Naseau is setting in.  After a few years in my first house by myself it is time to sell.  I spent more than a month repainting EVERYTHING, refreshing the landscaping, put an entirely new upstairs bath in and on and on and on.  I always tell my sellers when you decide you love your house again and almost don't want to move then you are ready....I am ready.

 I took photos and actually got a little creeped out at the thought of my bedroom posted all over the internet. It has been on the market about a week and a half, I have had 7 showings and two repeat lookers.  I have only had to show the house myself once (Thank God) and it was awful. I know each and every flaw and the ppl were slightly rude - which would have rolled off me fine in someone else's house but irked me in mine.  At the end of the day I hate this entire side of the process, from keeping the house absolutely spotless all of the time to stressing out about potential offers.  I am also extremely private and the thought of some of these other agents walking through my house and providing comments is more than enough to push me over the martini edge...

 My first open house is today... I thought about getting another agent to do it but I also have control issues as well as privacy issues....I need a therapist to buy this thing and then we can work out a good deal LOL!

 Is it too much to hope for? 

Any advice on selling your own?  I cannot believe ppl actually take this on themselves without any training. I have been doing well in the business and am not 'new' and I still am driving myself mad. Nevermind my kids are going to stop speaking to me soon - everytime they even look at me I ask about their room/play area/pool/front yard etc. 

Someone stop me before I hurt myself!!!

So, I spent all day working and doing my thing and my almost 15 year old daughter is the one that brought in the buyer.  She has been talking about getting her Real Estate License when she turns 18 and I am starting to realize I am going to have some stiff competition.

 Her 'BFF's mother is moving and she told me last night but said it was 'hush-hush' and don't call.  I told her to 'go and get it' and I would give her 5% of the commission earned.  I gave her a few pointers on what to say and the benefits of a buyers agent and, skeptically, sent her on her way.

 Well. She did it. 

Now, as I sit here, I realize that I am making this whole process way more complicated than it needs to be and I should go back to my roots.  Just get out there and sleep, breath, eat Real Estate and when you hear of something give them the benefits of you and your company and sell.

 It really is that easy.  I think a lack of concern for the competition is what makes the great ones great. They just do what they do.

My daughter had no concerns about other Realtors, the 'Big' names in town, advertising, commission splits or when the new development will be going in down the street. She just saw a buyer, a chance to make some money and did it.

I can't wait till she gets her license - hopefully she won't lose her passion or her confidence. She will be great.